How to Make Meatloaf Recipes Healthier

EatingWell's Jessie Price demonstrates how to make a healthy meatloaf recipe by showing you how to use vegetables and whole grains as a partial substitute for meat. The healthy cooking techniques she shares can help you reduce fat and cut calories in your favorite healthy meatloaf recipes.

Hi, I'm Jessie. I'm here in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, and today I'm going to show you how to cut calories and saturated fat in meaty dishes. I'm going to make a delicious smoky, rich meatloaf, but it's going to be a lot healthier than a typical version. So I start out, this is my first trick. I'm going to add a ton of veggies into this. I have shredded zucchini, bell pepper and shallots. I put those in a bowl with a little bit of water. Put them in the microwave and cook them down until they're wilted. Now the idea here is, these veggies are going to help bulk up the meatloaf without adding a bunch of calories. Zucchini per pound has about 80 calories. Ground beef has about 800 calories per pound. Next we go with our seasonings. So I have my egg, I whisk that together. I add in tomato paste. I add in mustard, Worcestershire, marjoram, smoked paprika if you have it (that's for that smoky flavor), salt and pepper. Whisk that all together. Now this is a great way to add a ton of flavor to your meatloaf without adding calories. Next add your breadcrumbs. Choose whole-wheat if you can find them. That will add just a little bit of fiber. Mix that together and then you're ready to add in your ground beef. I'm going with 90% lean for a leaner ground beef. But don't worry, it's still going to be moist and delicious. You mix that all together. Don't overmix it or you'll get tough meatloaf. Then transfer it to your tray and shape it into a loaf. And then you're ready to slather the top with a little bit of ketchup or barbecue sauce. And then put it into the oven. It just bakes for about 40 to 45 minutes, then it should register 160 degrees on your meat thermometer and it's done. Ready to go. So I made a couple of simple swaps: I added veggies, I went for big, bold seasonings and I went for a lean ground beef. And with that I've just saved 170 calories and two grams of saturated fat per serving. For this recipe and more healthy comfort food makeovers comes to eatingwell.com.